Matt Bonacasa, one of the heroes of Hurricane Sandy, helped Oceanside Community Service deliver presents to those in need.

Members of the Friedberg JCC drove around Oceanside and other communities to see what was needed the day after the storm. Even though the JCC building was heavily damaged, volunteers showed up to hand out food, clothing and, later, cleaning supplies. They helped people clean out their homes. They saved lives.

M’s Family Restaurant in Island Park and J Paul’s Café in Oceanside were open, running on generators and hope, after the storm, serving whatever food they had on hand and charging people next to nothing — if they charged at all.

The Island Park Chamber of Commerce, led by Glenn Ingoglia, helped set up the Island Park Relief Fund, which will collect monetary donations to give not only to homeowners, but to businesses, which can’t get grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Jane Blackburn, Mike DiAmbrosia, Andy Morris, Sue Murphy, Beth Sporing and many more worked hard to help the Oceanside community.

There were so many people who volunteered to help that they can’t all be named. So many gave so much of their time, money, goods or skills — and they are all the Herald’s People of the Year.